Compact pinch valve

ABSTRACT

A pinch valve includes first and second pinch arms pivotally mounted about respective pivot axes. A spring interconnects the first and second pinch arms to mutually bias the pinch arms towards each other and provide a pinching force for pinching respective first and second conduits. A cam engages with each of the pinch arms and provides an unpinching force for either one of the pinch arms against the bias of the sprint.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/097,499 filed on Dec. 5, 2013, which claims priority of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/752,873.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a compact pinch valve suitable for use in thefield of inkjet printers, and more particularly for the control of theflow of ink or air to the printhead of an inkjet printer. The inventionwill be herein described in this context.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In inkjet printers, ink lines are provided to supply ink from an inkreservoir to a printhead. Commonly, there are multiple ink lines (e.g.in a CYMKK printer, there are 5 ink lines connected to the printhead).

It is sometimes necessary for the printhead to be decoupled from the inklines to enable, for example, replacement of a depleted printhead.Inkjet printers that can prime and de-prime the printhead, and purge airbubbles from the printhead, offer the user distinct advantages. Forexample, removing a depleted printhead can cause inadvertent spillage ofresidual ink if it has not first been de-primed prior to decoupling.Further, air bubbles trapped in printheads are a perennial problem ininkjet printers, and there is a need for a means to purge such airbubbles from printheads whenever they are present.

It is known in the prior art to provide a pinch valve for the purpose ofenabling priming and depriming of the printhead, and for purging of airbubbles from the printhead. In operation, the pinch valve is locateddirectly upstream of the printhead and the pinch valve selectivelycontrols (i) the flow of ink to the printhead, or (ii) the flow of airto the printhead, such that the printhead can be primed or de-primed, orsuch that an air bubble can be purged from the printhead.

The closest prior art presently known to the applicant is InternationalPublication WO 2011/143698 (published 24 Nov. 2011), which is hereinincorporated by reference. In particular, FIGS. 23-27 of WO 2011/143698teach a pinch valve which selectively controls the flow of ink or air tothe printhead for the purposes discussed above.

The operation of this prior art pinch valve is described, for example,at page 39 through to page 48 of WO 2011/143698. The pinch valve is a2-way (i.e. ink or air), multi-channel (i.e. CYMKK) valve whichselectively directs either ink or air to the printhead. In theillustrated embodiment, there are 5 ink lines and 5 air lines which areselectively opened and closed by the operation of the pinch valve.

The ink lines and air lines pass through the pinch valve and thesections of the lines which pass through the pinch valve are formed of aresilient, plastics tubing which, in a default state of the pinch valve,are pinched closed. The resilient tubing is selectively allowed to opento allow the passage of ink or air through the valve to the printhead.

In the prior art pinch valve, the pinching function is performed by apair of spring-biased, elongate pinch elements which reciprocatelinearly along orthogonal paths. The reciprocation of the elongate pinchelements is controlled by cams which are mounted on a rotatable camshaftwhich, in turn, is controlled by a motor. The elongate pinch elementsare biased to a closed (i.e. pinched) position by springs, and areselectively moved to an open (i.e. unpinched) position by the operationof the motor and cam mechanism.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

According to a first aspect, there is provided a pinch valve comprising:

-   -   a body;    -   a cam rotatably mounted on the body about a cam axis;    -   a first pinch arm pivotally mounted on the body about a first        pivot axis parallel with the cam axis, the first pinch arm        comprising a first cam follower for engagement with the cam and        a first pinch element for pinching a first conduit;    -   a second pinch arm pivotally mounted on the body about a second        pivot axis parallel with the cam axis, the second pinch arm        comprising a second cam follower for engagement with the cam and        a second pinch element for pinching a second conduit; and    -   a biasing mechanism for biasing the first and second pinch arms        towards a plane containing the cam axis so as to urge the first        and second cam followers against the cam,        wherein the first and second pinch arms oppose each other on        either side of the plane.

Preferably, the biasing mechanism is a mutual biasing mechanism engagedwith the first and second pinch arms.

Preferably, the biasing mechanism comprises a resilient elementinterconnecting the first and second pinch arms, the resilient elementextending across the central plane.

Preferably, the resilient element comprises a tension spring mountedbetween a first spring mount location of the first pinch arm and asecond spring mount location of the second pinch arm.

Preferably, a radial distance between the first pivot axis and the firstspring mount location is greater than a radial distance between thefirst pivot axis and the first cam follower, and wherein a radialdistance between the first pivot axis and the second spring mountlocation is greater than a radial distance between the second pivot axisand the second cam follower.

Preferably, a radial distance between the first pivot axis and the firstspring mount location is greater than a radial distance between thefirst pivot axis and the first pinch element, and wherein a radialdistance between the second pivot axis and the second spring mountlocation is greater than a radial distance between the second pivot axisand the second pinch element.

Preferably, the plane containing the cam axis is a central plane, thefirst pivot axis being located to a first side of the central plane, andthe second pivot axis being located to an opposite second side of thecentral plane.

Preferably, the first pinch element is elongate and configured forpinching a plurality of first conduits, and the second pinch element iselongate and configured for pinching a plurality of second conduits.

Preferably, the cam is mounted on a rotatable camshaft and the pinchvalve further comprises a sensor for sensing a rotational position ofthe camshaft.

Preferably, further comprising a drive mechanism for rotating the cam,wherein rotation of the cam causes selective unpinching of the first orsecond conduits by urging the first or second pinch arms away from theplane containing the cam axis.

Preferably, the first and second conduits extend transversely withrespect to the cam axis.

Preferably, the pinch valve comprises a first inlet corresponding to thefirst conduit, a second inlet corresponding to the second conduit and acommon outlet, wherein the second conduit joins the first conduitdownstream of the first pinch element and upstream of the common outlet.

In a second aspect, there is provided an inkjet printhead comprising:

-   -   an ink container;    -   a printhead;    -   an ink line interconnecting the ink container and the printhead;    -   an air line branched from the ink line; and    -   a pinch valve as described above for selectively pinching the        air and/or ink lines.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in a non-limiting manner withrespect to a preferred embodiment in which:—

FIG. 1 is perspective view of a pinch valve according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is an ink line side view of the pinch valve;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the pinch valve;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the pinch valve taken along section 4-4 andwith the end cover removed;

FIG. 5 is a sectional end view of the pinch valve taken along section5-5 and showing the configuration in which both ink lines and air linesare pinched closed;

FIG. 6 is a sectional end view of the pinch valve taken along section6-6; and showing the configuration in which both ink lines and air linesare pinched closed;

FIG. 7A is a sectional end view of the pinch valve taken along section5-5 and showing the configuration in which the ink lines are pinchedclosed and the air lines are allowed to open;

FIG. 7B is a sectional end view of the pinch valve taken along section5-5 and showing the configuration in which the ink lines are allowed toopen and the air lines are pinched closed;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the camshaft;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the main portion of the main housing;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the main gear;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a pinch arm (either the first pinch orthe second pinch arm);

FIG. 12 is an exploded view of the pinch valve; and

FIG. 13 schematically shows the pinch valve in the context of an inkjetprinter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Reference Numerals Used inFIGs

-   Pinch Valve 100    -   Main Housing or Body 120, 120A, 120B, 120C        -   Ink Inlet 121        -   Ink Line 122        -   Outlet 123        -   Air Inlet 124        -   Air Line 125        -   First Anvil 126A        -   Second Anvil 126B        -   Camshaft Bearing 127        -   First Pin Bearing 128A        -   Second Pin Bearing 128B    -   End Cover Unit 140        -   Motor 142        -   Worm Gear 144        -   Main Gear 146        -   Position Sensor 148        -   Reference Marker 148A    -   Camshaft 160        -   Cam 162    -   First (Ink Line) Pinch Arm 180        -   First Pin 182        -   First Cam Follower 184        -   First Spring Mount Location 186        -   First Pinch Element 188    -   Second (Air Line) Pinch Arm 200        -   Second Pin 202        -   Second Cam Follower 204        -   Second Spring Mount Location 206        -   Second Pinch Element 208    -   Spring 220

With reference to the FIGs, there is illustrated a pinch valve 100according to the present invention.

As discussed in the preamble, the pinch valve 100 controls the flow ofink or air to a printhead. The respective flowpaths for ink and air arebest understood with reference to FIG. 6, which is a cross-sectionalview taken along section 6-6 of FIGS. 2 and 3.

Referring to FIG. 6, ink enters the pinch valve in a leftward directionat ink inlet 121. The ink then flows in a downward direction through afirst conduit in the form of ink line 122. In FIG. 6, the ink line 122is shown in the pinched or closed state. In particular, ink line 122 ispinched between (a) the elongate first pinch element 188 of a firstpinch arm 180, and (b) a first anvil 126A disposed on the housing 120.It follows that the flow of ink is obstructed or prevented in theillustrated configuration. However, if the ink line 122 was not pinchedclosed, ink would continue to flow downwardly through ink line 122, andit would exit the pinch valve 100 in a rightward direction from outlet123. Ink which exits from the outlet 123 of the pinch valve in arightward direction is then directed to the printhead (e.g. for primingor printing purposes).

In FIG. 6, one ink line 122 is shown in its pinched state. However, fromFIGS. 1, 2 and 12, it will be appreciated that multiple ink lines 122may be pinched simultaneously by the first pinch element 188. Ingeneral, references herein to “the ink line” implicitly include one ormore ink lines.

Referring again to FIG. 6, air enters the pinch valve in a downwarddirection at air inlet 124. It continues in a downward direction througha second conduit in the form of air line 125. In FIG. 6, the air line125 is also shown in the pinched or closed state. In particular, airline 125 is pinched between (a) the elongate second pinch element 208 ofsecond pinch arm 200, and (b) a second anvil 126B disposed on thehousing 120. It follows that the flow of air is also obstructed in theillustrated configuration. However, if the air line 125 was not pinchedclosed, air would continue to flow downwardly, it would then be directedin a rightward direction as viewed in FIG. 6 across the bottom of thepinch valve 100 to a point at which it joins ink line 122, and exits thepinch valve in a rightward direction from outlet 123. Air which exitsfrom the outlet 123 is then directed to the printhead (e.g forde-priming purposes).

Thus, it will be appreciated that outlet 123 fluidly communicates withboth ink inlet 121 and with air inlet 124. Further, it will beappreciated that the air line 125 joins the ink line 122 downstream ofthe first pinch element 188.

In FIG. 6, one air line 125 is shown in its pinched state. However, fromFIG. 12, it will be appreciated that multiple air line 125 may bepinched simultaneously by the second pinch element 208. In general,references herein to “the air line” implicitly include one or more airlines.

The opening and closing of the flowpaths for ink and air is bestunderstood with initial reference to FIG. 5 which is a cross-sectionalview taken along section 5-5 of FIGS. 2 and 3.

Referring to FIG. 5, the ink line 122 and air line 125 are again bothshown in the pinched or closed configuration (although the lines arepartially obscured in FIG. 5 by the first pinch arm 180 and second pincharm 200, respectively).

The first pinch arm 180 and second pinch arm 200 are symmetricallydisposed on either side of a central vertical plane containing the axisof camshaft 160.

The first pinch arm 180 is mounted for pivoting motion about an axisparallel to, and spaced to the right of, a central plane C containing acam axis 161 by virtue of the engagement of a first pin 182 in a firstpin bearing 128A. Thus, the first pinch arm 180 pivots about a firstpivot axis defined by the first pin 182, as can be best appreciated withreference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 7B.

In similar regard, the second pinch arm 200 is mounted for pivotingmotion about an axis parallel to, and spaced to the left of, the centralplane C containing the cam axis 161 by virtue of the engagement of asecond pin 202 in a second pin bearing 128B. Thus, the second pinch arm200 pivots about a second pivot axis defined by the second pin 202, ascan be best seen with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 7A.

The first pinch arm 180 and the second pinch arm 200 are urged together,towards the central plane containing the camshaft axis, by virtue of apair of tension springs 220 which are mounted between a first springmount location 186 and a second spring mount location 206 of respectivefirst and second pinch arms. The pair of tension springs 220 are axiallyspaced along the length of the camshaft. In alternative embodiments,other biasing means (e.g. resilient cords or loops) may be employed. Inthe configuration shown in FIG. 5, and with reference again to FIG. 6,the springs 220 cause (a) the elongate first pinch element 188 to pinchthe ink line 122 against the first anvil 126A such that the ink line isnormally closed, and (b) the elongate second pinch element 208 to pinchthe air line 125 against the second anvil 126B such that the air line isnormally closed.

With comparative reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 (and also FIG. 11), itwill be noted that the radial distance between the pins 182, 202 and thespring mount locations 186, 206 is greater than the radial distancebetween the pins 182, 202 and the elongate pinch elements 188, 208. Thisresults in the pinching force being greater than the spring force, byvirtue of the mechanical advantage (i.e. leverage) provided. This allowsusage of spring(s) having a relatively low spring constant compared tothe requisite pinch force and, consequently, a lower torque motor forrotating the camshaft. For example, when the radial distance between thepins 182, 202 and the spring mount locations 186, 206 is about 1.5 timesgreater than the radial distance between the pins 182, 202 and theelongate pinch elements 188, 208, this results in the pinching forcebeing about 50% greater than the spring force.

The un-pinching of the air line 125 will now be described with referenceto FIG. 7A.

In FIG. 7A, camshaft 160 has been rotated such that the cam 162 hasadopted a “ten o'clock” position. In this “ten o'clock” position, thesecond cam follower 204 has been urged in a leftward direction such thatthe second pinch arm 200 has been pivoted in a counter-clockwisedirection against the bias of spring 220. It will be noted that thereare a pair of axially spaced second cam followers 204, as can be bestseen in FIG. 11, which align with the pair of axially spaced cams 162.It will be understood that, as the second pinch arm 200 has beenforcibly pivoted by the cams in a counter-clockwise direction, theelongate second pinch element 208 has been moved away from the secondanvil 126B such that the resilient air line 125 has been allowed toopen. In this configuration, the printhead can now be de-primed. It willalso be noted that, as air line 125 is opened, the load on springs 220is increased, and, advantageously, the pinching force on the ink line122 is concomitantly increased ensuring that no ink can enter theprinthead during de-priming.

The un-pinching of the ink line 122 will now be described with referenceto FIG. 7B.

In FIG. 7B, camshaft 160 has been rotated such that the cam 162 hasadopted a “two o'clock” position. In this “two o'clock” position, thefirst cam follower 184 has been urged in a rightward direction such thatthe first pinch arm 180 has been pivoted in a clockwise directionagainst the bias of spring 220. Again, it will be appreciated that thereare a pair of axially spaced cam followers 184, as can be best seen inFIG. 11. It will be understood that, as the first pinch arm 180 has beenforcibly pivoted by the cams in a clockwise direction, elongate firstpinch element 188 has been moved away from the first anvil 126A suchthat the resilient ink line 122 has been allowed to open. In thisconfiguration, the printhead can now be primed and/or printing canoccur. It will also be noted that, as ink line 122 is opened, the loadon springs 220 is increased, and, advantageously, the pinching force onthe air line 125 is increased ensuring that no air can enter theprinthead during priming or normal printing.

The control of the camshaft will now be described with reference to FIG.4, which is a view taken along section line 4-4 of FIGS. 2 and 3.

Camshaft 160 is rotatably coupled to main gear 146 which is accommodatedwithin end cover unit 140. Also accommodated within end cover unit 140is a motor 142. Motor 142 drives worm gear 144 which, in turn drivesmain gear 146, and hence camshaft 160. An optical position sensor 148cooperates with a reference marker 148A provided on the main gear 146such that a control system can ascertain the rotational position of themain gear 146, and hence the camshaft 160. Thus, the pinch valve can becontrolled to (a) prevent the flow of both ink and air as shown in FIGS.5 and 6, or (b) allow the flow of air, but not ink, as shown in FIG. 7A,or (c) allow the flow of ink, but not air, as shown in FIG. 7B. In analternative embodiment, an electrical position sensor may be used incombination with one or more electrical contacts on the main gear 146.

The assembly of the pinch valve will now be briefly described withreference to FIGS. 8-12. However, the person of skill in the art willreadily appreciate that a range of assembly methodologies is possible.

Referring firstly to FIGS. 8 and 9, the camshaft 160 of FIG. 8 isinserted into the housing 120A of FIG. 9. Once the camshaft is rotatablymounted within housing 120A, main gear 146 of FIG. 10 can be mounted,via splining, keying or the like, to the camshaft.

The first pinch arm 180 and second pinch arm 200 of FIG. 11 can then bemounted to the housing 120A. This is achieved by seating the pins 182,202 in the pin bearings 128A, 128B of the housing 120A.

A lower portion of the housing 120B is then joined with housing 120A tothereby capture the pins 182, 202 in their seats. Lower portion ofhousing 120B also includes supports for supporting the underside of thecamshaft, and spigots for mounting the lower ends of the ink lines 122and air lines 125. Further, lower portion 120B also includes ink/airoutlet 123, as well as conduits extending across the bottom of the lowerportion 120B for allowing communication of the air lines 125 with theink/air outlet 123.

At this point, the springs can be engaged with the spring mountlocations 186, 206.

An upper portion of the housing 120C can likewise be joined with thehousing 120A. Upper portion of housing 120C also includes spigots formounting the upper ends of the ink lines 122 and air lines 125. Upperportion 120C further includes ink inlet 121 and air inlet 124.

Finally, the end cover unit 140, including the motor 142 and worm gear144 and position sensor 148 can be introduced such that the worm gear144 engages with the main gear 146.

FIG. 13 shows an ink delivery system 300 described in US PatentPublication 2011/0279562 (the contents of which are incorporated hereinby reference), which is suitable for use in connection with the pinchvalve described herein. The ink delivery system 300 has a closed loop348 comprised of plural ink lines connected to an ink container 301. Afirst ink line 380 is provided between an outlet 313 of the inkcontainer 301 and the printhead 400. A second ink line 382 is providedbetween the printhead 20 and a return inlet 317 of the ink container301. The ink container 301 is open to atmosphere via a vent 317connected to a serpentine vent line 333. An outlet filter 321 isdisposed in the ink container 301 for filtering ink delivered to theprinthead 20.

As described in US Publication No. 2011/0279557 (the contents of whichare incorporated herein by reference) it will be appreciated that theink container 301 may be in the form of an accumulator (e.g. a floatvalve accumulator) for regulating a hydrostatic pressure of ink at theprinthead 400.

The ink lines of the closed loop 348 are in the form of tubing, and arepreferably tubing which exhibits low shedding and spallation in an inkenvironment. Thermoplastic elastomer tubing is therefore suitable, suchas Norprene® A-60-G. However, one of ordinary skill in the artunderstands that other types of tubing can be used. The tubing of theclosed loop 348 is connected to the printhead 400 via supply couplings388, which enable user-replacement of the printhead 400. The supplycouplings 388 and the manner of their connection is described in USPublication No. 2011/0279557.

A reversible pump 378 is provided on the second ink line 382. The pump378 is preferably a reversible peristaltic pump so that contamination ofthe pumped ink is prevented. However, one of ordinary skill in the artunderstands that other types of pumps can be used.

A valve arrangement 367 is provided on the first ink line 380, asillustrated in FIG. 13. The valve arrangement 367 comprises a 2-waypinch valve 369 for pinching the first ink line 380 and/or an air line371, which is branched from the first ink line 380. The air line 371 isopen to atmosphere via an air inlet 373 having a filter 377. A checkvalve 375 is positioned between the air inlet 373 and the pinch valve369.

As described in US 2011/0279562, coordination of the pump 378 and thepinch valve may be used to achieve various printer operations, such asprinthead priming, printhead de-priming, pulsed priming, normalprinting, standby mode etc.

Typically, the ink delivery system 300 has multiple ink lines fordelivering inks to multiple ink channels of the printhead 20. In such anarrangement, a single peristaltic pump 378 and a single pinch valve 369are typically shared between the multiple ink lines. Thus, actuation ofthe pinch valve may pinch all first ink lines 380 and/or all air lines371 simultaneously. Likewise, actuation of the pump 378 may pump ink inall second ink lines 382 simultaneously.

In the context of the present disclosure, it will be appreciated thatthe term “ink” is used to describe any ejectable fluid which isdelivered to a printhead. Ejectable fluids may include, for example,colored inks (e.g. dye-based inks, pigment-based inks, UV-curable inks,thermally-curable inks etc.), IR inks, non-colored ink vehicles,functional inks (e.g. 3D printing fluids, nanoparticle fluids) etc.

Throughout this specification and the claims, unless the contextrequires otherwise, the word “comprise” and its variations, such as“comprises” and “comprising,” will be understood to imply the inclusionof a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not theexclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and shouldnot be taken as, an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that suchart forms part of the common general knowledge.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A pinch valve comprising: a body; a camrotatably mounted on the body about a cam axis; a first pinch armpivotally and rotatably mounted on the body about a first pivot axisparallel with the cam axis, the first pinch arm comprising a first camfollower for engagement with the cam and a first pinch element forpinching a first conduit, the first conduit being positioned between thefirst pinch element and the cam axis; a second pinch arm pivotally androtatably mounted on the body about a second pivot axis parallel withthe cam axis, the second pinch arm comprising a second cam follower forengagement with the cam and a second pinch element for pinching a secondconduit, the second conduit being positioned between the second pinchelement and the cam axis; and a resilient element linearlyinterconnecting the first and second pinch arms between respective firstand second spring mount locations, the resilient element mutuallybiasing the first and second pinch arms towards each other such thatmovement of the first pinch arm alters a biasing force exerted on thesecond pinch arm, wherein the cam is positioned between the resilientelement and the pivot axes; and wherein the mutual biasing of the firstand second pinch arms towards each other provides a pinching force forpinching the first and second conduits.
 2. The pinch valve of claim 1,wherein the resilient element comprises a tension spring.
 3. The pinchvalve of claim 1, wherein the body comprises first and second anvils,and wherein the resilient element provides a pinching force on a firstconduit positioned between the first anvil and the first pinch elementand a pinching force on a second conduit positioned between the secondanvil and the second pinch element.
 4. The pinch valve of claim 1,wherein the first and second pinch arms are symmetrically disposed abouta plane containing the cam axis.
 5. The pinch valve of claim 1, whereina radial distance between the first pivot axis and the first springmount location is greater than a radial distance between the first pivotaxis and the first pinch element; and a radial distance between thesecond pivot axis and the second spring mount location is greater than aradial distance between the second pivot axis and the second pinchelement.
 6. The pinch valve of claim 1, wherein the first pinch elementis elongate and configured for pinching a plurality of first conduits,and the second pinch element is elongate and configured for pinching aplurality of second conduits.
 7. The pinch valve of claim 1, wherein thecam provides an unpinching force for unpinching either the first conduitor the second conduit against the bias of the resilient element.
 8. Thepinch valve of claim 7, wherein the cam is configured such that thefirst and second conduits are not both simultaneously unpinchable. 9.The pinch valve of claim 1, wherein the cam is mounted on a rotatablecamshaft and the pinch valve further comprises a sensor for sensing arotational position of the camshaft.
 10. The pinch valve of claim 1,wherein the first and second conduits extend transversely with respectto the cam axis.
 11. The pinch valve of claim 1 comprising a first inletcorresponding to the first conduit, a second inlet corresponding to thesecond conduit and a common outlet, wherein the second conduit joins thefirst conduit downstream of the first pinch element and upstream of thecommon outlet.
 12. An inkjet printer comprising: an ink container; aprinthead; an ink line interconnecting the ink container and theprinthead; an air line branched from the ink line; and a pinch valve forpinching the air and/or ink lines, said pinch valve comprising: a body;a cam rotatably mounted on the body about a cam axis; a first pinch armpivotally and rotatably mounted on the body about a first pivot axisparallel with the cam axis, the first pinch arm comprising a first camfollower for engagement with the cam and a first pinch element forpinching the ink line, the first conduit being positioned between thefirst pinch element and the cam axis; a second pinch arm pivotally androtatably mounted on the body about a second pivot axis parallel withthe cam axis, the second pinch arm comprising a second cam follower forengagement with the cam and a second pinch element for pinching the airline, the second conduit being positioned between the second pinchelement and the cam axis; and a resilient element linearlyinterconnecting the first and second pinch arms between respective firstand second spring mount locations, the resilient element mutuallybiasing the first and second pinch arms towards each other such thatmovement of the first pinch arm alters a biasing force exerted on thesecond pinch arm, wherein the cam is positioned between the resilientelement and the pivot axes; and wherein the mutual biasing of the firstand second pinch arms towards each other provides a pinching force forpinching the ink and air lines.
 13. The printer of claim 12, wherein theresilient element comprises a tension spring.
 14. The printer of claim12, wherein the body comprises first and second anvils, and wherein theresilient element provides a pinching force for the ink line positionedbetween the first anvil and the first pinch element and a pinching forcefor the air line positioned between the second anvil and the secondpinch element.
 15. The printer of claim 12, wherein the first and secondpinch arms are symmetrically disposed about a plane containing the camaxis.
 16. The printer of claim 12, wherein a radial distance between thefirst pivot axis and the first spring mount location is greater than aradial distance between the first pivot axis and the first pinchelement; and a radial distance between the second pivot axis and thesecond spring mount location is greater than a radial distance betweenthe second pivot axis and the second pinch element.
 17. The printer ofclaim 12, wherein the first pinch element is elongate and configured forpinching a plurality of ink lines, and the second pinch element iselongate and configured for pinching a plurality of air lines.
 18. Thepinch valve of claim 12, wherein the cam provides an unpinching forcefor unpinching either the ink line or the air line against the bias ofthe resilient element.
 19. The pinch valve of claim 18, wherein the camis configured such that the ink line and the air line are not bothsimultaneously unpinchable.